Longtime state Sen. Richard Cohen faces two challengers on the November ballot.

Independent candidate Scott Larson and Republican Sharon Anderson hope to unseat Cohen, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate who has held the District 64 seat since 1986.

Larson seeks to bridge party lines to unseat Cohen. Door knocking in St. Paul has led Larson to believe Minnesotans are fed up with Minnesota's legislators.

Anderson touts her political activism over the years.

Cohen says his experience, including serving as chairman of the Senate's finance committee, means he knows more than most about balancing Minnesota's budget.

Candidate: Richard Cohen, 62

Family: Single

Education: Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law

Occupation: State senator, attorney

Experience: "District 64's state senator for many years. Prior to DFL losing the majority, I served as Senate finance chairman. From my many years in that role, I know more about Minnesota's budget than most. Over the years, I have dealt with issues like education, community development, housing and state government."

Why should people vote for you? "Minnesota is in crisis. The terrible budget passed last year left us in a huge deficit. While other states pull themselves out of recession, we continue to bury ourselves in debt. I have led Minnesota effectively in the past and if re-elected

Experience: "30 years of political activism"
Why should people vote for you? "Support voting 'yes' to the marriage amendment, 'yes' to the voter ID amendment, 'no' to the school levy. I want to expose health care commitments, end corruption in the judiciary system and unseat Dick Cohen as a representative."
Contact:Sharon4anderson@aol.com, facebook.com/ Sharon4Anderson, www.sharonsenate64.blogspot.comCandidate: Scott Larson, 59
Family: Married 25 years, with two grown sons
Education: University of Minnesota degree, professional licenses and certificates
Occupation: Own a specialty advertising and a financial services company
Experience: "Having spent years in the financing industry gives me a background in balancing the budget. Spent years as a volunteer lobbyist for schools, involved in quite a bit of the K-12 legislationWhy should people vote for you? "I think that I bring fresh ideas and new energy that will not be restricted by party classes or ideology. It's about good public policy and having the ability to discuss that on either side of the aisle and come to a reasonable consensus on the issues."
Contact:www.larson4mnsenate64.com or email scott_ larson@larsonformnsenate64.com